Hundreds of Paddington bears left for Queen to go to charity

The Queen became associated with the Paddington bear, another British national treasure, after the two appeared together in a short comedic video earlier this year during the platinum anniversary celebrations to mark the monarch’s 70th anniversary. In the video, in which the Queen drank afternoon tea with a computer-animated Paddington bear, she told the bear that she shared his love for marmalade sandwiches – and that she liked to hide them in her purse “for later”.

Buckingham Palace and the Royal Parks said on Saturday that the hundreds of bears left behind as a tribute to the Queen will be professionally cleaned before being delivered to Barnado’s, a children’s charity.

Elizabeth was a patron of the charity for over 30 years and in 2016 she passed the patronage to Camilla, wife of King Charles III and now known as the Queen Consort.

“We are honored to be able to give a home to the hugs people have left in her memory,” said Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s. “We promise to care for these bears, who will be loved and bring joy to the children we support.”